Mahrez worth over £100m to Leicester, says Puel

Algeria winger Riyad Mahrez could be worth even more than £100 million (112 million euros) if he leaves Leicester City at the end of the season, Foxes manager Claude Puel said on Monday.

“It is speculation and we cannot respond to all the speculation with information,” Puel told a press conference. “Perhaps, in the summer he will cost even more than £100m.

“It is always the same thing about Riyad. It is just rumours, noise about him and other players,” added Puel of Mahrez, one of the stars of Leicester’s shock Premier League title triumph in 2015/16.

“We can see Riyad smiling and enjoying his football and enjoying playing with his team-mates and it is the same in training.

“After the training session, he continues to play head tennis, and I want him to get more rest.

“All the rumours and speculation about Riyad, do the reporters want him to leave the club?”

Mahrez, however, asked to leave the Midlands club in pre-season but only Roma made a firm offer, with the Italian side’s £32 million proposal not enough to persuade Leicester to sell.

A sign of the increasingly high prices clubs are prepared to play for players came when Dutch star Virgil van Dijk joined Liverpool from Premier League rivals Southampton for £75 million earlier this month, a world record fee for a defender.